One of the most traumatic experiences of modem times is to be subjected to a carjacking after a fearsome encounter with a criminal, without any concrete hope of foiling the carjacker or recovering the vehicle. Everyday, thousands of vehicles are being stolen from fleets or individuals or hijacked without any quick resolutions being available. Since a vehicle is one of the easiest means of getaway, the stolen vehicle is typically utilized to quickly place a large distance between the scene of the crime, the victim and law enforcement agencies. This phenomenon has dramatically changed our lives as we no longer feel tranquil and free of fear when moving about in a vehicle, or when observing stop signs or traffic signals, or going towards our parked cars or enjoying a ride. Often when a friend or a loved one leaves with a car, there is a sinking feeling of anxiety for their safety. Furthermore, in most cases, when the recovery of the stolen vehicle is delayed beyond several hours, it is taken apart and its subsystems sold through various criminal networks. Prompt action is required to foil carjackers and recover the vehicles.
This type of crime is not unique to the United States, as exemplified during a recent trip to Moscow where a car was carjacked right in front of the hotel in plain daylight. Car thefts and carjackings are major issues in many developing nations. The loss of one's vehicle in a large city like Moscow is quite debilitating, especially where there is widespread crime and when the cost of a replacement car can be prohibitive. In most cases, all any victim can do, is to report such a crime to the police by telephone as soon as possible, hoping the vehicle can be recovered. Carrying portable security remote controls is of no value in the case of a carjacking. The criminal almost always frisks and robs the victims, often making them lie face down and searching them thoroughly.
Criminals are also stealing government and police vehicles, posing a greater hazard to citizens and public safety organizations. Car dealerships and garages suffer equally when unattended vehicles are stolen at night or on weekends. Other vulnerable fleets include rental cars, military and commercial trucks carrying cargo, distribution vehicles with cargo, vehicles transporting money or precious items, very expensive tractors and bulldozers, armored personnel carriers, tanks and vans used for moving.
A simple, effective vehicular security system that can be accessed over a wide area to foil fleet or individual vehicle carjackings and car thefts during getaways, that can also help locate the stolen vehicles, as well as deter the theft of unattended vehicles, is needed to stop the rampage of carjackings and car thefts plaguing society. The system of the invention specifically and effectively addresses and fills this need.